Hey everyone, I live near a ski resort town in the Eastern Sierra and I will be making my first ever purchase of tire chains/cables…I grew up in the flat lands of Southern California (feel my embarrassment), so I have virtually no winter driving experience. I drive a Nissan Xterra 2WD. I am very mu…

You do have one of a few standard vehicles capable of handling and needing chains. Sorry to say, this rwd, front heavy Suv other then ground clearance will give you no help at all. Before anyone even thinks about buying chains, first, find a friend who has them and have them walk you through the ste…

First thing you need to find out is; Do you have a limited slip rear axle? This makes a big difference. It would be an option on your vehicle so if you have the original window sticker, it would be listed under options on it. If you don’t, you could jack up the rear of the vehicles until both whe…

I’m going to suggest you ask around town. These folks will have the personal experience to tell you what works in your area. Everyone here only has a guess as to what works and what does not. Personal experience trumps theory any day of the week.

Keith…you make some good points especially about the cables, but what makes you think that the Xterra is not front heavy with the motor in the front ? 54% front vs 46% rear are it’s specs. In general, all rwd cars do better in snow if weight is bias to the rear. and 2 to 300 lbs is minimal, little …

A compact truck, or any unloaded pickup is going to be very light in the rear. 46% of the Xterra’s weight is a lot of weight. I just haven’t found extra weight to be necessary, it just adds that much more momentum incase you get sideways. I don’t even add any weight to the back of my compact truc…

Keith…Before it became fashionable, I never used studded tires on the front either. As soon as I started, it was apparent that with most braking and all of the steering done by the front, I suddenly had more control and stopping. It was cheaper and not illegal so people with rwd don’t do it. It does…

It sounds to me like you should have good winter tires, especially as a novice winter driver, even if you disagree. The cost really isn’t as much as you think, as you’re saving wear on your summer tires when the winter tires are on. If you order a set already mounted on basic steel rims from Tire …

dagosa, I am a little confused by your post, you put studded snow tires on a RWD car? I have seen that done, but only on vehicles that were either ice racing or in a rally in Europe during the winter. If you need studded tires on the front of a RWD car, you are driving too fast. I carry cables in…

Keith…and I’m confused by your post. If I got you correct, you are saying if I need them on front as well, them I am driving too fast ? Is 10 mph too fast ? On an a glare ice intersection that was covered by light snow, you may not stop at this speed. I am aware that the majority of braking and ste…

Tire chains vs. cables and winter driving tips

General Discussion

Caddyman November 22, 2011, 4:56am 11

V-bar chains work great for occasional use over short distances. Your top speed drops to 30 mph. Any faster and the chains will be quickly destroyed. So will your tires…You must learn how to install them so it becomes second nature. A better solution, if they REQUIRE chains, stay home…

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Tire chains vs. cables and winter driving tips

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